


our melody

by aelescribe



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 15:54:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5749117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aelescribe/pseuds/aelescribe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They sit there with little smiles. Oh, what a dangerous feeling this is.</p><p>Lapis loves it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	our melody

**Author's Note:**

> I never uploaded the rest of my pearlapis bomb fics to ao3 because... I forgot. For a few months. Sorry about that. Prompt for this day was kissing.

 

 She can hear the cascading water and reminds herself where she is. Of course, still stuck in the fusion. She closes her eyes for even a moment and control will slip through her fingers like grains of sand. She’s gotten careless. She tells herself, _Steven didn’t come for you and that’s good. As long as you’re still here, he’s still safe. If you’re in pain, it’s_ good _, because it means he doesn’t have to be._

Lapis opens her eyes.

The absence of green shocks her into blinking. She rubs her eyelids harshly and opens them again. A pale blue greets her. There’s still water coming down in streams around her. Peculiar. What has happened in their subconscious to grant her such peace?

Her hands, she realizes with a shock; they aren’t bound in chains. They’re no longer encased. Lapis’s form has changed, as well. She can’t remember doing it consciously. Her dress fans out, a beautiful snowy material, with sleeves just past her elbow. The blue diamond has remained the same. There are faint marks around her wrists. She would have guessed they would fade with a new regeneration, but apparently that is not the case.. No, she thinks, they will stay as a reminder of her mistake.

But if she isn’t Malachite… where is she? Where’s Jasper?

She looks around. It seems the water has formed a sort of cocoon, shielding her from the rest of the world. She’s placed on a bed in the middle of it all, safe from the spray. The sheet beneath her is soft and she curls her fingers into it, savoring the texture. She’s never felt anything like this. So strange. She’s wary of this gift.

She can’t remember how she got here. Perhaps this is Homeworld. Jasper must have dragged her back for trial after taking control of the fusion. And she’s here awaiting punishment. Dressed in finery one last time.

A presence startles her. A vague shape outside of the waterfall. She can’t define them. They aren’t as tall as Jasper, though. Maybe it’s another Gem. The figure extends a hand and exposes a part in the water. Pearl steps inside and the waves resume their natural flow.

“You’re awake,” she says. She seems surprised, almost… pleased?

Lapis narrows her eyes. “What do you want?”

“I’m… I was just checking on you.” Pearl seems awkward and out of place, more so than usual. “It’s good to see you’re all right.”

“Where am I?”

“In our temple. I mean… the Crystal Gem Temple.” She seems to regret entering. Lapis shares her sentiment. She doesn’t want to see anyone but Steven. Pearl, perhaps sensing this, tells her, “Steven is away at a friend’s, but he’ll be back tomorrow.”

Her tone leaves no room for argument. Lapis has waited so long, she can wait another day. She has to. “What should I do, now?”

“You are free to go where you wish. We put you here to rest and recover, but we… we don’t want you to feel restricted here in any way.”

This seems is rehearsed. She’s discussed this with her companions? Their kindness is too late to heal the past, but it makes Lapis feel a little safer in the present. “I can leave if I want?”

“Yes. If you want. If you need anything else, just… let us know.” She struggles to maintain her composure. Lapis thinks it’s funny. She’s afraid. Struggling to apologize, no matter how useless the gesture may be.

“It doesn’t matter how sorry you are,” Lapis says. “Nothing can change what happened.”

“I know,” Pearl says tiredly. “I’ve come to realize that lately. But I just want you to know… I’ll do anything I can to make it up to you. Even if it means keeping away from you. I want you to feel safe here, since you may be staying for a while.”

The shock of that statement has yet to set in. Lapis shoves it to the back of her mind. She refuses to think of a life on this miserable planet. But she knows it’s true, and whether she thinks about it or not, she’s suddenly so heavy.

She curls up on the bed, tracing patterns across the blanket with her finger. It calms her down. She doesn’t want to think about the mirror anymore, to toss around blame aimlessly. There’s plenty to share between the three of them. And there’s plenty to share for Lapis guiding these dark forces to their planet in the first place. Speaking of…

“Where’s Jasper?” she asks. She expects Pearl is still here to appease her.

“We don’t know,” Pearl says regretfully. “She managed to get away… we would’ve given chase, but we thought we should make saving you our priority.”

“And if she meets back up with Peridot? What will you do then?”

“We’ll… cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Lapis says nothing. She curls farther in on herself with a sigh. “Pearl.”

“Yes?”

She gestures toward her with a dainty hand. “Come here.”

Pearl obeys.

She sits beside Lapis on the bed. Lapis stares at her through lidded eyes. “What can you do for me?”

“Whatever helps you.”

Lapis snatches her wrist and pulls her onto the bed beside her. “Hold me.”

The expression Pearl gives her is perhaps well worth some of the pain she’s gone through, and Lapis starts to laugh, shaking uncontrollably. “You-” Pearl stutters out, but Lapis won’t stop giggling. She stops when Pearl pulls her close.

“Like this?” she snaps, voice dripping with sarcasm. Apparently, snark is all they can share with each other. It’s enough to shut Lapis up.

“How kind of you,” she drawls, snuggling closer in retaliation.

Pearl strokes her hair, so gentle and kind, and she goes limp. “I’m serious,” Pearl mutters. “if you are.”

Lapis says nothing, because she’s unsure. She rests her head on Pearl’s shoulder. This is somehow comforting. It soothes her, it really does.

“I hate you,” says Lapis, coiling around Pearl like a snake with its prey.

Pearl’s hold tightens. “I know.” And she laughs.

Silence passes, broken by Pearl’s absent humming. She has a nice voice.

A thought strikes her. “You’re a pearl. You still make music, don’t you?”

Pearl’s brow creases into a frown, remembering something unpleasant. She stammers, “Well, yes, but there’s no… no need for it.”

“There is now. Make me some music, Pearl.”

There is a long sigh of annoyance. Lapis hates to admit she misses the warmth that Pearl takes with her when they part. She buries her head in the blankets, clutches them tight. She has no idea what Pearl is going to do. Maybe nothing. Maybe her word means that little. Then, she hears a beaming noise, and assumes Pearl is summoning something from her gem.

A soft note cuts through the rushing water. Lapis stills. The tune is cold and wistful, much like the two of them. The knots in her limbs detangle and the longer Pearl plays the more peaceful she feels. The music is healing. And it sounds familiar. Lapis doesn’t make the connection until she hears her utter a few words under her breath as she plays.

An ancient dialect, long forgotten. The hymn sounds so alive on her tongue.

Lapis strays from the bed and stands behind Pearl, listening to her mutter as she plays. “I didn’t know anyone still spoke our language.”

Discorded notes break the song, Pearl’s hands slamming the keys with surprise. She spares Lapis a glance. “I didn’t know you could understand it.”

Lapis raises an eyebrow. “Don’t the others speak it?”

“Amethyst never learned, and Garnet never had the longing I did.” Her fingers dance down the ivory with melancholy. “I suppose no one speaks it, now.”

Pearl is so strange.

“I do,” Lapis says. She sits beside her on the piano bench, trying to smooth down her puffy skirt. “I can tell you just how much I hate you, now.”

That makes Pearl laugh again. It’s even better than her music. She shakes her head and continues to play.

It turns into tradition, for them. Lapis will shake in Pearl’s bed, trauma overtaking her, and then music will calm her again. She’s getting better. Steven helps a lot. He visits her whenever she can, because she doesn’t feel much like leaving her watery haven.

When she does, Steven shows her all the sights she never thought she would want to see. The quaint town makes her think of better times. These humans are so simple. They’re foolish, but charming. Perhaps she’s starting to see things another way. She refuses to recognize it, but the thought lingers. She doesn’t hate Earth. In fact, she’s starting to like it. And not just Earth. Steven’s guardians, as well. Even after a rough start.

Amethyst is good company. She’s rude and rowdy and helps Lapis let go, to forget trying times and have fun. On the other hand, Garnet lets her know when to reign it in, and knows when to leave Lapis alone.

That leaves Pearl.

Pearl’s room gives her serenity she didn’t think was possible. The cavern gives the illusion of a starlit lake, with sparkling walls and glistening falls. She almost feels like she’s home. It’s a dangerous feeling.

She sits beside Pearl as she plays one day, concentrating on the motion of her fingers. She tries to mimic it by tapping her own fingers against the piano bench. Unlike the flourish that accompanies most of her actions, Pearl plays with quiet grace. Sheepish, even.

“These are old songs,” Lapis notes. She recognizes some pieces. Soft lullabies that soothed young gems, snippets of great concertos from when there was cause for celebration. “You still remember them?”

“I don’t see how I could possibly forget,” Pearl says. Lapis knows. She clings to the past, as stubborn dew clings to grass in the morning. Lapis is the same way. But she’s starting to realize, some things are better left behind. And she can’t hold on forever. Neither of them can.

But, for now, she lets Pearl get lost in her fantasy, fingers drumming in sync against the old bench. When she’s finished reciting, her hand sets over Lapis’s. A natural instinct to entwine their fingers hits her, and she’s so shocked that she does.

They don’t look at each other. Lapis sneaks a glance at Pearl’s blue flushed face. Her own begins to heat up as well. “Sorry-” Pearl starts to retract the gesture.

“It’s fine!” Lapis cuts her off, squeezing her hand a little harshly. Perhaps a little panicked at the thought of losing this sensation. “It’s fine. This is fine.”

They sit there with little smiles. Oh, what a dangerous feeling this is.

Lapis loves it.

She learns to play with Pearl. She copies and commits it to memory and, one day, surprises Pearl by joining in the song. She doesn’t miss the beaming smile Pearl gives her. Perhaps she noticed her mirroring how she played, or perhaps not. Either way, how pleasant it is for her to have someone to play with.

Lapis even begins to feel laughter arise, losing herself in the rhythm. Their hands dance around each other, seamless in taking up extra notes. Occasionally they brush together and Lapis has to restrain a grin.

Of course, there are beginner’s mistakes. Lapis isn’t by any means up to par with Pearl’s playing. But now Pearl is excited. They can play together. This music is theirs, now.

They keep playing as often as they can. At the end of a long day playing with Steven, laughing with Amethyst, and sparring with Garnet, Lapis will finally retreat to Pearl’s room, and meet her under the waterfall.

It keeps going and going. She never fails to smile while they play, moving from old hymns to songs Lapis hears on the radio to their own temporary notes. And sometimes, Pearl utters old words under her breath, setting off a spark in Lapis. She prefers to stick to the present, but remembers the goodness of their old language. She’ll remember the good times. And the bad moments get remembrance, too. But she’s stopped losing herself in it. She’s learning to let it all go.

“You’ve really gotten the hang of this,” Pearl says. She lets Lapis take a solo. Her eyes shine with something undefinable.

“It’s nice playing with you,” Lapis admits. “I’ve learned a lot.” Lapis turns to her, slowing the tune to a waltz, letting her left hand do the work. “But I think I still have a ways to go.”

“You’re doing excellent,” Pearl reaffirms, and her right hand joins to complete the melody. “You have all the time you need to get better.”

Their free hands intertwine and they stare at each other.

“All the time I need,” Lapis repeats softly. “and think I’m going to stay here with you the whole while?”

“Of course not. Just sometimes.” Pearl squeezes her hand. Her eyes glow with fondness. “I’ll cherish any time you give me.”

Lapis bites her lip, leaning in. Just enough to hear Pearl’s breath hitch when she cups her cheek. The music has slowed even further, their playing hands joining together to complete the song. Lapis admits in silence that she will do the same.

She presses her thumb to the corner of Pearl’s lips.“Cherish this, too,” she says, and closes the gap to kiss her.

It’s a shocking thing. As though Pearl can’t believe the soft lips pressed to her own. Lapis watches her eyes slide shut, shuddering, and she hastens to reciprocate. Small kisses, first. They’re tentative, afraid to lose this. Lapis winds her arms around Pearl’s neck to pull her closer. “This is real,” Lapis murmurs against her mouth. She’s not sure who she’s trying to reassure.

The music abandoned, hands begin to wander. Pearl’s hands rest on her waist, stroking her bare skin. She tugs Lapis’s top lip between her teeth, then sates the sting with a sweep of her tongue. When the hesitation fades, Lapis is met with unadulterated passion. She’s held like she’s the only thing in the universe that matters. She’s kissed like nothing in the world could please Pearl more.

Their tongues slide together, their lips refuse to part. Lapis is panting. She understands the human need to breathe so well, now. But there’s nothing in the world that can keep her apart from Pearl in this moment.

When they finally break, they’re still close, foreheads pressed together. Pearl’s gem cools her heated flesh.

“Are you going to kiss me that often?” Pearl asks with a dry voice.

Lapis, in turn, smirks. “Using all the time I need.“


End file.
